Darkness
by alex-c101
Summary: Jack and Danny struggle to find 17 year old Aidan Leeson, who's caught in prostitution and drug trafficking. Rated T for language. Finished. Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, so please don't sue me, that won't be cool.

Chapter 1

Aidan Leeson stood on the edge of the sidewalk, wincing at the rain that beat down on his face. He shook his soaking blonde hair out of his eyes, and drew his hood over his head. A black pickup pulled over to the curb, and Aidan approached the passenger side window. He had a short discussion with the driver, before opening the door and sliding in the front seat.

The pickup slowly pulled away and disappeared into the darkness.

_12 hours missing_

_Malone Residence_

Jack Malone moaned and turned over in his bed, groping for his cell phone that lay on the nightstand. With his eyes still closed, he answered.

"Malone"

A familiar voice sounded on the other end, "Jack? It's Danny. We've got a missing 17 year old."

Jack groaned. It was supposed to be his day off. "Ok, I'm coming."

He closed his phone and stared wildly around the room. Finally he got out of the bed and dressed.

_Bullpen_

Jack entered the office, straightening his tie. Danny smiled, "Hi Jack, sorry to wake you, I know it's your day off."

Jack nodded, "That's fine, what do we have?"

Danny opened the beige folder that lay on his desk and handed a photo of Aidan to Jack.

"Aidan Leeson, 17, attends St.Matthew's Prep. Mom said she came home from nightshift and checked his bedroom. He never even came home from school."

Jack surveyed the school photograph of Aidan, before placing it up on the whiteboard. The smiling Aidan stared back at him.

"We should go to his school first. See what we can find out from his friends and teachers."

Danny nodded and followed Jack out of the office.

_St.Matthew's Prep_

Jack entered the empty classroom and focused on the boy sitting in a chair at the back. He pulled out his badge and introduced himself.

"Hi, I'm special agent Jack Malone, it's nice to meet you Gabe."

He pulled a chair from a nearby desk and sat down across from Gabe. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat as Jack stared at him.

"Your friend Aidan's been missing for over 12 hours, do you have any idea where he might be?"

Gabe stared down at the floor. "No, I talked to him last night and he didn't mention anything about it."

Jack pulled out a pad of paper, "Do you and Aidan talk often?"

"Yeah we've been best friends since the third grade. We got stuck in this hellhole together."

Jack looked up from his writing. "You don't like it here?"

Gabe gave a weak smile, "We're surrounded by all these rich kids whose parents pay their teachers to pass their asses. Me and Aidan are one of the few kids that don't board here." He pulled at his tie, "Our parents gave us some bullshit about working hard and getting better jobs than they have, and they expected this place to help us become successful."

Jack closed his notepad, "I know what it's like around here, I went to a prep school too. Was Aidan involved in the wrong crowd?"

Gabe narrowed his eyes and stared at Jack, "No, I don't know what you're talking about."

The bell rang to end second period and Gabe stood up abruptly.

"I have to go, I'll be late." He rushed towards the door and slammed it shut behind him. After a few moments, Jack exited the classroom too.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_20 hours missing_

_Leeson Residence_

Danny sat across from Aidan's mother, April Leeson, at the kitchen table. He noticed that the entire table was covered in photographs of Aidan, and April looked as though she had stayed up most of the night.

"He's never done this before, he's always come home right after school, unless he has football practise." She gripped her coffee mug firmly and stared at the photographs.

"Mrs.Leeson, have you noticed anything different about Aidan these past few months? Was he having trouble in school?"

April paused for a moment, "I met with his teachers a few weeks ago, they said he hasn't been doing any homework, and his grades were slipping. I can't make sure he does his homework because I work nightshifts at the hospital, I only see Aidan before school."

Danny stood up and excused himself from the table, and silently walked down the hallway to find Jack.

_Aidan's Room_

Jack was searching through Aidan's drawers when Danny entered the room.

"I haven't found anything yet, he has his cellphone on him but he's not answering. Will you check the computer?"

Danny sat down at the computer desk and opened his chat conversations.

"He has his mobile conversations saved on here too. Almost all of them are with Gabe, a girl named Hailan, and someone named J."

"I'm guessing we can find Hailan and this J guy at his school. If you think about it, his mother's never home when he is, so she has no idea what time he comes home at night. He comes home to an empty house."

Jack lifted up Aidan's mattress and called Danny over.

"I don't think he was playing football after school."

Danny moved in closer and examined the bags, "It's cocaine. A 17 year old is trafficking cocaine." He shook his head, "I think we need to go back and visit St.Matthew's again."

_22 hours missing_

_St.Matthew's Prep_

Hailian Gall sat across from Danny with a worried expression on her face.

"So am I in trouble or something?"

Danny smiled, "Do you have a reason to think so? I'm here about Aidan Leeson, he's been missing for a day."

"Aidan? I haven't talked to him since last night."

"So you're friends with him?" Danny pulled out his notepad.

"Yeah, we met last year." Hailan reached into her purse and pulled out her wallet, and showed a photo of her and Aidan to Danny.

"I see. So is Aidan active in any other sports besides football?"

"Football? He doesn't play sports." Hailan gave him a confused look.

"His mother told me he practised everyday after school. Do you know why he would lie about that?"

Hailan dropped her eyes to the floor and became defensive. "No. I don't know why."

Danny shut his notepad and recognized the same reaction that Gabe had given Jack.

"Listen, I don't know what you and Gabe are trying to protect, but it could help us find Aidan. If you're a good friend you would want to help find him."

Hailan spoke to the floor, "He deals drugs. That's it."

"That's it?" Danny became a little angry, "He's 17 and trafficking cocaine. People are killed doing that. Things like this happen." Danny pulled up his shirt and showed Hailan the deep scar that ran across his abdomen.

Hailan's eyes filled with tears, "I don't know where he is, only that he had this big deal going down last night."

Danny opened his notepad and began write, "Who is this J guy?"

Hailan paused for a moment, "J used to be his pimp."

Danny stopped writing and looked up in disbelief.

_Bulllpen_

_25 Hours Missing_

Jack read through Aidan's chat conversations, "So he turns tricks for this guy, J."

Danny was going through sex offenders lists that matched the description that Hailan had given him. They had tried tracing his cell phone but it was a pre paid cell phone.

"Hailan said that she met him through a friend, and he talked Gabe, Aidan, and her into working. After they realized what the job entitled, they tried to leave, but this guy threatened to kill them if they left."

A match came up on the computer. "Jason Moore, 28, spent 5 years in jail for drug possession and 2 counts of child endangerment."

_Interrogation Room_

Jason Moore was sitting in a chair, his arms crossed and a look of impatience on his face. Jack opened the door and sat down across from him.

He pulled out Aidan's photo and slid it across the table to Jason.

"Aidan Leeson. The 17 year old you threatened to kill unless he worked for you? He's missing."

Jason narrowed his eyes and stared at Jack, "Sorry buddy, I have no idea what you're talking about."

Jack's expression immediately turned angry, "I have zero respect for you. Trafficking teenagers and drugs, you're sick. Why don't you stop wasting my time and tell me where the hell Aidan is."

Jason gave Jack a smirk, " Am I supposed to be intimidated, _detective_? You look like the type of guy Aidan usually turns tricks for."

Jack immediately stood up, knocking over his chair, and grabbed Jason by the collar of his shirt. "How about this, you damn pervert. You tell me where Aidan is, and I'll let you rot in jail forever. Or don't, and then I'll kill you right now."

Jason grabbed at Jack's hands, attempting to free himself. Danny immediately threw the interrogation room door open and pulled Jack away.

"Jack! What the hell are you doing!"

Jason adjusted his shirt, "I sold him to a business friend, but he still carries out deals for me. He was making an exchange last night on the corner of 53rd and 2nd. He was supposed to call me around midnight to tell me if it went through. I never got a call from him. Little shit probably took my supply and left."

Jack gave Jason a dirty look before exiting the room.

"We found the drugs in Aidan's room, the deal never went through." Danny grabbed the files on the desk and gathered them up. "I want a list of all the men that have been with Aidan."

He slammed the door shut behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

_Truck Stop_

_30 hours missing_

Danny sat in the front seat of his SUV concentrating hard on the trucks coming and going in the parking lot. He was waiting in a truck stop a few minutes from the city for a black pickup truck to approach.

His radio suddenly buzzed and cracked.

"Danny? All clear?" Jack's voice was muffled as he spoke into his radio.

He could see Jack sitting in his own dark vehicle with Jason Moore handcuffed in the back seat. They brought him along to identify the car and driver. He had eventually broken down and listed the men who had been with Aidan in the past month. The drugs Aidan had been trafficking were for a truck driver that frequented the stop they were at.

"No sign of him yet." As Danny placed his radio on the passenger seat, a black pickup truck slowly pulled into the stop.

He reached down and placed his gun into the waistband of his jeans before silently exiting his car. In the corner of his eye he saw Jack give him the signal to approach the truck as he exited his own car across the parking lot.

He watched as a man got out of the drivers seat and began to walk towards the restaurant while talking on his cell.

"Freeze! FBI! Hands on your head now!" Danny drew his gun and pointed it directly at the man's head. Startled, he dropped his cell phone and glanced around, attempting to find an escape.

Danny ran towards him and the man put his hands on his head. He dropped to his knees as Danny cuffed him. He roughly pulled the man back up to his feet by the collar of his shirt and tucked his gun back into his pants.

Jack slowly approached the black truck with his gun drawn as soon as Danny arrested the man. He opened the back door and pointed his gun at the back seat before dropping it immediately.

A small girl with long brown hair was curled up on the floor behind the back seat, her hands tied with tape. A tear was slowly running down her cheek.

"Hi, my name is Jack. I'm a policeman." His eyes softened when he realized this girl was around the same age as his own daughter. She dropped her blue eyes to the floor when Jack took a step closer and shifted uneasily.

"I promise I won't hurt you." He reached out his hand and began to untie the tape. He noticed she had a recent black eye and bruises along her arms. He gently picked her up and carried her out of the car to his own vehicle.

A few squad cars had arrived and Danny paused to watch Jack carry out the young girl. He handed over the man and Jason Moore to the police and walked over to meet Jack with a blanket in hand.

"This is my friend Danny, he's really nice." Danny smiled at the young girl who immediately hid her head in Jack's shoulder. He opened the back door and placed her on the seat before wrapping a blanket around her.

_Bullpen_

_33 Hours Missing_

"David Mason, 36, married with 2 daughters." Danny placed the folder down onto Jack's desk. His head was in his hands, he was reaching more than 30 sleepless hours.

The man Danny had apprehended was David Mason, a regular trafficker of drugs and prostitutes. Jack had found his 7 year old daughter with him missing from her Florida home for 2 years.

"This loser was supposed to just take the drugs and pay Aidan. Why did he kidnap him too?" Jack was searching through David's credit card bills, hoping to find something that would give them a lead.

"I don't know, maybe a ransom? He might've thought Jason was a caring pimp that would pay a ransom for Aidan. David isn't talking, he called a lawyer as soon as he entered the building. He's used to this."

A credit bill for a storage unit on 55th and 3rd popped up on Jack's computer.

"We've got a hit. I'm sure he's hiding Aidan here."

Danny and Jack immediately stood up and left the office, grabbing their badges and jackets.

_Store-All_

_34 Hours Missing_

Danny drew his gun and silently walked behind Jack. They were approaching David Mason's Storage unit and suspected he had a lookout.

They stopped at #87 and Jack kicked the door open, rushing into the unit.

"FBI! Hands where I can see them!"

Two men sitting on upturned crates gave them a surprised look before reaching one reached into his jacket. Danny immediately shot him in the shoulder while Jack rushed forward to apprehend the remaining man.

Danny stepped over the man and entered the back room, kicking away boxes and packages of drugs to make room. He kicked open the door and pointed his gun before immediately tucking it back into his jacket.

Aidan was lying on the ground, his hands and feet bound with tape. His white t shirt was soaked with blood. He let out a quiet cry as Danny approached him and lifted up his shirt to see the damage. There was a deep knife wound on his ribs that was bleeding rapidly.

"Hey buddy, I'm Danny Taylor with the FBI." He reached for his radio and called for a bus.

He quickly untied Aidan's hands and legs and attempted to lift him to his feet. Aidan moaned in pain and Danny noticed his leg was broken.

"It's okay, you're going to be okay. I won't let anything happen." He wrapped his arm around his shoulder with difficulty and the two slowly limped out of the back room.

_St.Margaret Hospital_

Jack approached Danny who was anxiously waiting in the hall.

"He's barely hanging on, but he's going to pull through. A broken leg and 20 stitches. He lost a lot of blood."

Danny nodded and gave a sigh of relief.

"I just talked with Aidan, he tried to run away and paid the dealer to drive him to the bus stop outside of town. He left the drugs in his room for his friend Gabe and they were supposed to meet up later. The guy took him and wanted a ransom from his pimp."

Danny winced at the thought of Aidan's stab wound and grabbed his own ribs. He knew what it was like to feel the sharp blade of a knife enter his body.

"He's asking for you, he's been through a lot." Jack stared at Danny deeply before giving him a nod of approval. His approval meant more than anything in the world to him.

Slowly Danny turned and entered Aidan's room. Jack heard the softness of Danny's voice as he comforted Aidan and gave a small smile before walking down the hallway.


End file.
